10 December 2019 - Daily Current Affairs
1. World Human Rights Day being observed today
- The World Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December to honour the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
- The theme for 2019 Human Rights Day is ‘Youth Standing Up for Human Rights’.
- This year "Stand Up for Human rights," aim to celebrate the potential of youth as constructive agents of change, amplify their voices, and engage a broad range of global audiences in the promotion and protection of rights.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on this day by the United Nation's General Assembly in 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.
Honour & Award
2. Abu Dhabi selected as the world’s leading sports tourism destination
- Abu Dhabi has been selected as the world’s leading Sports tourism Destination at the 26th edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) held in Muscat.
- This is the seventh time in a row that Abu Dhabi has been selected for this coveted award.
- Abu Dhabi shined as a premium destination once again for sports tourism in 2019 after hosting some of the world’s top sporting events, such as the FIFA Club World Cup 2017 and 2018, the first edition of the UAE Tour, the Special Olympics World Games 2019, the AFC Asian Cup 2019, the UFC 242 showdown and the Brazil vs South Korea international friendly match.
- Sports tourism has been labelled by the United Nations World Travel Organisation (UNWTO) as one of the fastest-growing sectors of tourism worldwide.
- The award is the latest in several prestigious accolades gained by Abu Dhabi this year, including being selected as the West Asia’s Leading Business Tourism Destination at the West Asia edition of WTA and Best City Break at the UK’s Selling Travel Agents’ Choice Awards.
3. Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari elected for Moortidevi Award for the year 2019
- Noted poet-critic & Former President of Sahitya Akademi Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari has been selected for the prestigious 33rd Moortidevi Award for the year 2019 for his work 'Asti Aur Bhavati'.
- ‘ASTI AUR BHAVTI’ is an autobiographical journey of Dr Tiwari which captures the historical, philosophical and cultural aspects at different temporal settings thus igniting life in subjects like changing values and changes in societal and cultural landscapes.
- Dr. Tiwari has published over eight poetry collections, three travelogues, one diary and several critical essays.
- He is the recipient of many distinguished awards that include Vyas Samman, Hindi Gaurav Samman, Pushkin Samman and many more.
- Moortidevi Award is presented every year for a contemplative and perceptive work which expresses, underlines and illumines human values written in any Indian languages or English.
- The award consists of a Saraswati Statue, a Citation Plaque and Cash Award of Rupees Four lacs.
Obituaries
4. Bar code inventor ‘George Laurer’ passes away
- George J. Laurer (94-years) passed away at his home in Wendell, North Carolina in the US.
- Mr. Laurer was an electrical engineer with IBM in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park in the early 1970s when he spearheaded the development of the UPC (Universal Product Code), or bar code.
- The now-ubiquitous marking, composed of unique black bars and a 12-digit number, allowed retailers to identify products and their prices as they are scanned, usually at checkout.
5. Former Odisha minister Bhagabat Mohanty passes away
- Former Odisha Minister Bhagabat Prasad Mohanty (92-years) passed away at his residence in Bhubaneswar.
- Mohanty was elected to the state Assembly in 1971 as Praja Socialist Party (PSP) candidate and in 1985 and 1995 as a Congress nominee, said sources.
- He had served as the Higher Education Minister of the state.
International Affairs
6. UAE, US joint military exercise 'Iron Union 12'commences
- A joint military exercise between the ground forces of the UAE and the United States 'Iron Union 12' commenced in the UAE's al-Hamra region.
- Spanning a few weeks, 'Iron Union 12' will see the two sides take part in joint military cooperation to enhance combat and tactical capabilities.
- The joint military exercises of the UAE Armed Forces with fraternal and friendly countries takes place in a manner consistent with latest developments and reflects the UAE Armed Forces' determination to stand firmly against all threats and challenges facing the region.
7. Incredible India Road Show held in Singapore
- The Incredible India Road Show held in Singapore, positioning the country as a preferred destination for tourists.
- The roadshow by Indian delegation will provide a platform to the stakeholders of India's tourism industry to interact with their Singaporean counterparts.
- Indian delegation comprises 25 tour operators and destination management companies along with representations from the state governments of Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
- A total of 1,75,852 tourists from Singapore visited India in 2017, a growth of 7.4 per cent on the year, said the India Tourism Singapore office.
8. Driverless vehicles being tested on 5G technology in UAE
- Driverless vehicles are being tested on 5G technology ahead of a planned deployment of such vehicles on roads in the United Arab Emirates.
- The Director-General of the UAE’s TRA (Telecommunications Regulatory Authority) said they will expand 5G network to important sectors such as transport, health and education.
- According to industry reports, 5G-enabled driverless vehicles will be able to have more efficient and quick communication with each other and traffic infrastructure, which will help to minimize traffic jams and bottlenecks.
- 5G technology can also enable these vehicles to identify traffics conditions and potential dangers quickly.
- The TRA is coordinating with authorities in transport, health and education sectors, and private sector entities to implement this strategy for better utilization of 5G network.
Banking & Finance
9. SBI announces a reduction in one-year MCLR by 10 basis points
- Country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the reduction in its marginal cost of fund-based lending rate (MCLR) by 10 basis points across all one-year products (effective from today).
- This is the eighth consecutive cut in MCLR by the lender this fiscal.
- The new one-year MCLR has been cut to 7.90 per cent from 8 per cent.
Appointment
10. News Broadcasters Federation elects Arnab Goswami as governing board president
- The News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) has elected Arnab Goswami (editor-in-chief of Republic TV) as the President of its governing board.
- The NBF is the body of over 78 news channels (14 languages) of India, representing broadcasters from 25 states.
- The new self-regulatory organization in order to bring in transparent self-regulation on content will be announced by the end of January 2020.
Sports
11. Russia banned from 2020 Tokyo Olympics & 2022 Football World Cup
- Russia has been handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
- Wada's executive committee made the unanimous decision to impose the ban on Russia in a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
- It comes after Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.
- Now, Russia flag and anthem will not be allowed at events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics and football's 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
- Russian athletes can still compete at international events under a ‘neutral banner’ if they are able to prove themselves to be clean.
12. All India Sports competition of ERMS to start at Bhopal
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has inaugurated 2nd Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) All India Sports Competition at TT Nagar Stadium, Bhopal.
- Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) scheme is one of the flagship interventions of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs introduced in 1997-98 to ensure tribal students get access to quality education in the remote tribal areas.
- Tribal Folk artists from Madhya Pradesh and other states will perform cultural programmes during the event.
- As many as 4500 players of 284 Eklavya Schools of 20 states will exhibit their skills in 16 sports disciplines during the competition.
13. Boxing: Joshua reclaims his world heavyweight crown from Andy Ruiz
- Britain's Anthony Joshua reclaimed his world heavyweight crown from Andy Ruiz, outclassing the Mexican-American to score a unanimous points victory.
- Joshua produced a masterclass performance to regain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles in emphatic fashion at Ad Diriyah in Saudi Arabia.
- Dominating from the outset, Joshua won by margins of 118-110 on two scorecards with the third judge making it 119-109.
